Really? Bottom of the myer centre? Ok, I'm going there today. It had better be good.

Under Myer centre as in opening onto Charlotte St or the one next to the escalators near the entrance to target? Or the dubious looking one in the bottom foodcourt? Can they rattle their sabres louder then the one outside of Strike Bowling on the mall? Thyis is getting complex. Time to call CHOICE Magazine.

Under Myer centre as in opening onto Charlotte St or the one next to the escalators near the entrance to target? Or the dubious looking one in the bottom foodcourt? Can they rattle their sabres louder then the one outside of Strike Bowling on the mall? Thyis is getting complex. Time to call CHOICE Magazine.

By Charlotte St I assume you mean the one fronting onto Elizabeth Street near the Wintergarden/Hilton (it would be at the back of the Regent basically). It's good, the same chain as the one in Central Brunswick.

I went to the one near McDonald's/Subway etc.

I think I will give your fabled one upstairs near Strike (is it called Hanaichi?) a go. I had a lunch with some colleagues there but it was abortive as one of the girls proclaimed herself to be a bogan and "hated sushi" and the others couldn't agree on what to have. Think I'll be ruthless and go by myself.

On a side note, I recommend Teppanyaki Time nearby the sushi place I went to yesterday.

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks. Years later, a doctor will tell me that I have an I.Q. of 48 and am what some people call mentally retarded.

Hanaichi is really good but it can be a bit exxy if you want to eat a decent meal. If you are keen on a GIB lunch there cosmo then let me know.

Ive been doing some repeat business at Sono and the Lab in the last week. Sono remains a favourite of mine for cheap, filling (sit down) Japanese food. Not a bad place if you want to eat at a restuarant in the CBD without breaking the bank. The service isn't great, but at the price you pay it's a very good deal I reckon.

Did a bot of a boozy lunch at the Lab yesterday and it was the first day of the new season menu. Had quail with foie gras for entree (i love foie gras), rare angus rump for mains and creme brulee for desert. Washed it down with a bottle of Ra Nui Sav Blanc (my friends were having fish...damn them )and some Noble One for desert.

another big tick from me on that one. Food was 9/10, service was about 7/10. I really like looking out the big arched windows they have there.

Hanaichi is really good but it can be a bit exxy if you want to eat a decent meal. If you are keen on a GIB lunch there cosmo then let me know.

Dude, bring it on! It's been too long since the last one. I couldn't be bothered queing for Hanaichi today, it was full, so went to the train one downstairs. It was peak time so everything was being freshly made, it was delicious but $3 more expensive than yesterday's lunch.

Hanaichi is really good but it can be a bit exxy if you want to eat a decent meal. If you are keen on a GIB lunch there cosmo then let me know.

Ive been doing some repeat business at Sono and the Lab in the last week. Sono remains a favourite of mine for cheap, filling (sit down) Japanese food. Not a bad place if you want to eat at a restuarant in the CBD without breaking the bank. The service isn't great, but at the price you pay it's a very good deal I reckon.

Did a bot of a boozy lunch at the Lab yesterday and it was the first day of the new season menu. Had quail with foie gras for entree (i love foie gras), rare angus rump for mains and creme brulee for desert. Washed it down with a bottle of Ra Nui Sav Blanc (my friends were having fish...damn them )and some Noble One for desert.

another big tick from me on that one. Food was 9/10, service was about 7/10. I really like looking out the big arched windows they have there.

I went to Sono when up there for work last week. Will be going back next time - great sashimi, good food.

We had the Beetroot tempura with goast cheese, watercress and mandarin which was devine! Great balance of flavours. Mixed olives pan fried with balsamic onions, then the deep fried sechuan pepper and lemon tofu chips which were superb, crispy on the outside with a gooey center. Perfect.
Lychee staff come to your table to allow you to order your drinks and tappas as you wish and you pay them as you go. Service is always outstanding!
Highly recommend the tappas at Lychee with your cocktails next time.

I ordered the potato and fetta hash cakes with spinach, roma tomato's and herbed sour cream. It was lovely. The menu has a different range to the usual bacon and eggs big breakfast style cafe's, they keep it different and non traditional. That's why I love The Gunshop. My companion ordered the French toast served with vanilla ricotta, local strawberries, berry sauce and pistachio crumble. Needless to say I had food envy!! Gunshop gets really busy on weekends but even still the service is always on top!

Next morning we headed up the road to Cantina West End. I love this place for a lazy Saturday morning bfst. It can get quiet busy and a tad loud on weekends so might be best to see if you can get a seat outside.
Cantina is different again from your usual weekend breakfast places as it's inspired by Spanish, Italian and Japaneese cuisine. Mostly Spanish on the breakfast menu though. Fantastic coffee too!

As the website suggests it is actually the best Greek restaurant in West End and we have tried them all! We have been sampling all the platters that the Greek retaurants in West End have to offer and this was by far the best food wise and value for money.
The cute belly dancers are a nice touch too! My only gripe was the service was a little slow, but we were sitting at a table in the corner that was usually occupied by the owner so that may have had something to do with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPOKEYDOKEY

It is actually acceptable to kick sand in childrens faces at the beach. It's character building. For them too.

Did a bot of a boozy lunch at the Lab yesterday and it was the first day of the new season menu.

Where is Lab? On George St?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmo Cater

I think I will give your fabled one upstairs near Strike (is it called Hanaichi?) a go.

Not sure about "fabled" but it was good and i do have some happy memories of meals there with a certain ex-pat sure. It just felt better then a wonky loud dirty sushi franchise full stop. Last train to sushi central... all aboard, all aboard woooaaaaah.

Quote:

Originally Posted by indie_doll

Seeing as though I just ate my way through my weekend I though I would share a few cheap but nice places around West End.

That i do miss. Shame you dont get more time for lunch. Whilst my brownie fiending in Sydney at Le Monde are days long past i've been dangerously recommeded Le Bon Choix... the La Rivale... oh my. Nudge nudge

im heading to brissie tomorrow for work, am looking forward to going out for dinner there! will let you know where i went and how it was

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks. Years later, a doctor will tell me that I have an I.Q. of 48 and am what some people call mentally retarded.

Went to Pier Nine on Sunday night. Food was lovely and service good too. 4 of us had entrees, a round of beers, 2 bottles of ~$50 wine, and mains (2 x lobster, 1 x john dory, 1 x quail), for a total of $517. Lucky daddy was paying for that one.

Also went to Isis last Thursday, had a white rabbit salad entree and Wagyu beef main. Both were yummy, my girlfriend didn't like her "stuffed chicken" main though, it was like a mince, which wasn't really decribed on the menu. Service was good though, and the complimentary bread and sorbet were both nice and yummy.

Alchemy is definitely my favourite out of the high end places we've been to so far.

Went to Sono (Portside) for a friends Birthday dinner on Friday night.
The fit-out of this restaurant is AMAZING! Typical Japanese style restaurant with tepanyaki bar, full samurai armour at reception and beautiful river views all done in rich reds and piano blacks. All the tables are sunk into the floor, so it looks like you're sitting on the floor but they've dug footwells under the tables! Genius!
We were in a private room (shoes off), complete with sliding paper doors (to keep out the riff-raff). The waitress even knocked before she came in!
We ordered 2 x Sono platters that were loaded with sushi and sashimi as well as butterflied king prawns that were grilled with avocado and cheese . Also had cucumber wrapped in salmon, wagu beef medallions in teriyaki sauce and a heap more I can't remember. The sashimi was the best I've ever tasted. The tuna and salmon were amazing.
Drank a bottle of warmed saki (interesting, not as strong as I expected) and several Asahi's (as you do). The waitress even apologised for not having the matching Asahi glasses!
The only thing that really let this whole experience down was the chopsticks. They were those cheapo wooden splits-in-two jobbies that you get at the local take-out. Surely a fine dining Japanese restaurant can afford to clean chopsticks! Or even if they can't (maybe because of hygene???) they could have splurged and got something half-way classy.
Don't know how much exactly it ended up costing. Among 8 people we would have been hitting the $400 inc alcohol mark. Not bad really.
All in all a very pleasant experience and certainly a great way to have a big meal with a bunch of friends.

And by special I don't mean special like that Kleinaman boy down the street. More special like... like Special K, the horse tranquiliser.

Went to "Micheals" On Wednesday night. When we got there they didnt have a record of our booking but they fit us in anyways with a window seat.

We started off with cocktails (i had the passionfruit mojito) and they bought out our entrees in a flash....would have been nice to have finished our cocktails first before we had the entree.

For the entree i had the duck liver pate and it was devine, was served with a fruit, i think it may have been fig... on the top of some fresh toasted bread... it was delicious.

For main i had the venison and it was devine.... served with a side of truffle mash. For me you can tell a restaurants orsmness by the mash potatoe!!! yum!

for desert we had the tasting plate, i highly reccomend it, i couldnt get through it with my collegue!! there was chese cake, a white chocolate icecream, creme caramel, a berry icecream with brandy snap...

all up an fantastic meal, though $270 for two is out of my price range... thank god work was paying

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks. Years later, a doctor will tell me that I have an I.Q. of 48 and am what some people call mentally retarded.

I'm getting taken to Sono at Portside tomorrow so looking forward to trying it out then. Bento boxes, yum!

I was taken to the Belgian Beer Cafe (it's the season for lunches) on Friday and had the mussels Marienere - white wine, bay leaves and persiallde, along with frittes. Soooo delicious, very filling too.

Ok, three posts in a row, gay, but time to share. Sono was closed today so went to Kingsley's instead.

I had the salt and pepper soft shell crab for entree - very different to what I expected. Beautiful flavour though, came with some sort of chili tomato relish. The host had the special which was a papaya, mango and crab salad which was quite good but had a pretty generic flavour...kind of like a thai beef salad, must have been the dressing. Another had the sashimi oysters which has some kind of mirin sauce and a layer of tuna sashimi and they said it was beautiful.

Main was a rib eye which was lovely and tender but a bit too fatty for my tastes, I prefer the thicker cuts. Sides were garlic mushrooms which were pretty good, and steamed broccoli which was ok but I can do that at home.

Had 3 beers, a bottle of Pinot Noir and a sticky with dessert (tirimasu and sorbet), overall it was a nice lunch but I'm glad I wasn't paying...I don't think Kingsley's quite lives up to the prices. I wouldn't mind trying out the Alaskan King Crab though...mmmm yum!

I was taken to the Belgian Beer Cafe (it's the season for lunches) on Friday and had the mussels Marienere - white wine, bay leaves and persiallde, along with frittes. Soooo delicious, very filling too.

Dam that Alchemy place sounds good, also been recommended Joseph Alexanders by a few people.

Belgian Beer Cafe food wasn't anything special, pretty limited menu in fact and when I ate at Sakura I ordered the sashimi platter, some of the fish was slimey and the octopus was still thawing out fresh from the freezer. The food at Garuva was also very average but I guess it's not purely a restaurant, Tibetian Kitchen and the Cantina on Hardgrave rd were both really disappointing in terms of food quality too. At Merphyr Bowls club the steak I ordered came cold and overcooked.

We're on the southside and eat out about once a week mostly in west end, favourite places include Dakblah Vietnamese - huge menu, tops flavours, food presentation
Caraven Serai Turkish (Hardgrave Rd)- limited menu but good service and wicked desserts
Huongs Thai (upstairs off Vulture St) - tasty food, good atmosphere
Espressohead, great lunch or breakfast, great when hungover.
Wah Korean - (in the mall under the piercing shop next to Hungry Cracks) - great little underground hideaway very modern asian bistro atmosphere
Indian kitchen (Vulture St)- $7 plates of amazingly delicious curry that will make you curse paying more for a poorer meal each time you eat elsewhere. Food from a hot box is not meant to taste this good, ever, once you eat there other Indian places pale in comparison.
Neo's Pizza & Pasta - Gladstone Rd Highgate Hill - amazing pizza's, won national awards for them and great gelati

Bakeries we like are FlourPower on Gladstone Rd, that Italian patisserie on Brunswick St New Farm end and the desserts at Three Monkeys are always good.

i recently discovered the fantastic awesomeness of the Bombay Dhaba indian restaurant a couple of weeks ago ... i've had a fair amount of indian food, but this place is fantstic! You're probably paying a few more dollars for some of the dishes ... but the food, its' presentation and the service makes it 100% worth it !!

I am surprised it has taken me this long to actually contribute to this thread, but here goes:

High end restaurants:

Bespoke: Who would have thought that one of my fave restaurants would be in walking distance to my house? An excuse to down more of their great wine collection? I think so. There are several things I love about this place:
- The atmosphere - nice open kitchen and friendly staff that don't sound like they are repeating a script when describing what is on offer (something that Isis staff do way too often and end up sounding like Playschool presenters: lol.
- The food - Where can I start? First of all I am a major sucker for their freshly baked rolls and beef jus Being a huge kangaroo fan I found their Carpaccio of kangaroo fillet, and apple and curry oil emulsion to be the perfect starter when I visited again last week.
I also had the grain fed eye fillet, that surprisingly came close to sharing the title with Alchemy's 18hr slow cooked beef I enjoyed earlier this year .
- The desserts - full of surprises to say the least. I once ordered the 'blueberry tart', which came out with a pyramid of whisked toffee and white chocolate shards sitting about 40cm high. It was photo-worthy to say the least.
Entrees: $16-25 Mains: $25-40 Desserts: $10-16

Alchemy: A quick stroll by the river early this year found my friend & I dining at this gorgeous delight. Like many of the posts above I agree that this is one of the best tastes of high end dining in Brisbane. Be sure to book though (including on weekdays) as most nights it is booked out.
Prices similar to above.

Wilsons Boathouse Seafood @ Portside: Although the regulars to this restaurant are somewhat older than me, the seafood is just amazing and to be honest I actually prefer it a lot more to the mum, dad & kids feel of Bretts. Enjoying a bit of time at the oyster bar before sitting down for dinner is always a bit of fun too - I especially recommend the Moet, Midori & Oyster shooters
Oysters: approx $20 (6) $34 (12) entrees: approx $22 Mains: $30-40

Isis: I been to Isis on several occasions now, twice for degustations, but for me it still hasn't 100% hit the spot. Don't get me wrong the food is great, but I find some other things about the restaurant somewhat annoying. Eg. We had booked a table for 8 for the last Mushroom degustation. On arrival they put us on 2 separate tables next to each other. When we asked if they could be pushed together they said No, despite similar size tables being set up next to us. One course in we asked why the dish didn't have mushrooms in it. The waiter then responded "Oh we ran out a few days ago, so this is just the normal degustation". Something that we were not told even when we confirmed our booking that day for the Mushroom Degustation.
Later on while describing one of the meals (in full script mode) the waiter emphasised that the fish was "an endangered species". I kid you not. Don't get me wrong there is emphasising that the food you are serving is somewhat exclusive, but that is just taking it to another level. I asked her if I had heard right, and she confirmed it once again with a smile. Needless to say, I won't be eating there again.

Cheap eats:Efes One Turkish Restaurant - Albion: This place has been around for 20+ years and quite frankly beats Mecca Bar any day hands down. There are several banquets on offer (for 2 people or more) and unlike the later restaurant service is quick and friendly, the food comes out at a decent pace and there is normally more on offer than you can fit in. Once again there is an open kitchen so if you are situated around the front side of the restaurant you can see a lot of the food being cooked. The moussaka is to die for as well if you opt for a single meal. Best of all they also do take away if you call up beforehand. If booking with a group of 6 more ask for either the 'harem seat' or a spot out on the gorgeous back deck where the atmosphere is a little more inviting than the main front area. On Saturdays there is also a very attractive belly dancer that leaves a lot of guys somewhat drooling to say the least.
Mains: $10-20 Banquets: $25+

Leon's Chinese Restaurant - Lutwyche: This used to be a little hole in the wall until the end of 2002 when a small fire in the kitchen gutted out the entire building. In came a nice insurance payment and not only did the place triple in size, the food still stayed great & the place is now tastefully decorated.
A regular fave for my friends & I we have soft spots for the creamy garlic and broccoli Moreton bay bugs (There is now a banquet that includes this!), the salt and pepper quail and any of their laksas (As you can see I tend to drool a lot when there). Don't be scared by the location on Lutwyche Rd, this place is a treat worth visiting.
Entrees: $5-15 Mains:$12-35

One Degree - Eagle St Pier: This is something my friends & I stumbled across thanks to the infamous Entertainment booklet. I thought it is worth a mention for those looking for a quick lunch and glass of wine by the river. At around $12 a meal it really is something special if not just for the view. After being dragged to Jade Buddha several times for mediocre meals and bad service just because it was in walking distance from my work, One Degree was a god sent. The food is basic with a twist, such as salt & pepper calamari or rosemary and lemon prawn skewers on spiced jasmine rice, but is well presented and very tasty. It is also good if you have say 10 people as you can sit at the long benches they have there and look at the river. And if heading there after work their cocktails are definitely worth a try!

Three Monkeys - West End: It has been around for years and if you haven't been there yet then you are missing out. I like this place not just for their delicious selection of cakes, but also because they are one of the few places in Brisbane that can acutally make chai tea correctly (which is great for a non-coffee drinker such as myself). The nachos also rate as do their freshly squeezed juices, friendly staff and one-off atmosphere that you can only get at 3 Monkeys. Definitely one of my fave places for a quick catch up with friends.

Burger Urge - New Farm: This is a great little nook in the wall, perfect for when you get a craving for a burger and don't want to eat HJs or McDonalds. The menu is pretty decent & for under $10 it's a nice little eat that you take down to New Farm Park & enjoy by the river. Just thinking about them, makes me want to drive down there & grab one now.

Anyhow that's enough for now, I will add a few more in the coming weeks such as Mondo Organics in West End & La Kasba in Woolloongabba.

Later on while describing one of the meals (in full script mode) the waiter emphasised that the fish was "an endangered species". I kid you not. Don't get me wrong there is emphasising that the food you are serving is somewhat exclusive, but that is just taking it to another level. I asked her if I had heard right, and she confirmed it once again with a smile.

Not is Brissy, but that one is still to come. We went to the Gold Coast International for the seafood buffet. All up with drinks and a 10/15% discount with a voucher we had, it came to about $51.00 each - on a Friday Night!. Awesome value. Pics below for you to drool over

Seafood was fresh, firm and so so tasty, the salads and antipasto was good, excellent hot meal selection that included roast lamb, grilled chicken, fish, curry and 2 kinds of soups. The dessert section was awesome too - 2 hot desserts and about 6 cake things plus icecream,custard, cream and sauces.

The Seafood looks quite nice, but the desserts look a bit too ala Sizzler for me.
I went to Gambaro's a couple of weekends ago, lovely seafood and service on offer. The interior is still outdated as ever, but I suppose that kind of adds to the charm. Unfortunately for the waiters though we were the last table to leave by a mile, so a tip was definitely in need!

Theres a half decent one at the sofitel i believe - i think thats the name - the one above Central? Was a good selection of hot and cold, they had a sushi section too, really awesome soup if i remember correctly and they do a wine buffet too - think its about $22 pp. They had a pretty decent selection of cold foods, i think they didn't have a large hot selection, but thats not a big issue really in brissy! If i remember correctly, the buffet was good, but i think it was a bit expensive for what you got.

heres some pics anyway

miss_wright - the desserts @ the Gold Coast International aren't like sizzler at all. they were gorgeous, fresh and very tasty. there was more to the selection than those i showed including cheesecake, chocolate torte, ice-creams, custards, fruit salad etc etc.

I have to agree, The Sofitel does a fantastic seafood buffet and the desserts there are delicious! Last time I went there I had lime sago with whipped pineapple and white chocolate mouse on the top served in champagne glasses I should really attempt making this combo at home - it was so good.

you forgot to mention about burger urge... the burgers there are fkn huge. like, massssive. twice as big as a big mac. i quite like the burger place in the valley mall for an appropriately sized good-tasting burger.

Went to Jade Buddha last weekend for their $10 Sunday specials and was pleasantly surprised (on the whole).
You get 2 options for $10. Option A: Steak (Porterhouse) with salad (coleslaw, potato & green) and bread roll; Option B: Moreton Bay Bug, prawns, swordfish skewer with salad (as above) and bread roll.
You also have a $15 "Reef & Beef" option which consists of a combination of the above but without the Bug.
I went for the steak (Option A) cooked medium-rare and it came out perfectly cooked, little to no fat and a decent size. The salad items were passable, but nothing special.
Only fault I could find was, the bread roll was a cold, crappy white roll that you'd find at Sizzler and there was no sauce for the steak! No sauce!!! OK, I tell a lie, there was sauce. It was, however, a PACKET of tomato sauce. WTF?
I understand it was only $10 and it did represent pretty good value, but the penny pinching on probably the 2 cheapest items on the plate was disappointing.
I should feel lucky though. The people who ordered the Reef & Beef didn't get any sauce whatsoever and no butter for their bread rolls either. Wack.

Anyhoo, heading to Enjoy Inn for their Chinese New Year Banquet on Saturday night. Will report back.

And by special I don't mean special like that Kleinaman boy down the street. More special like... like Special K, the horse tranquiliser.